Recollections
by lagomorph
Summary: History of the Yoroi: Teruyo's biography. Composed by Mia Koji
1. Default Chapter

Recollections 

Part One   
  


In the reflection of the window I watched her take a sip of her coffee. "I am ready anytime you are," she said, subtly hinting me to start. 

With a sigh I turned around to face her. Her inquisitive teal eyes were fixed on me. She had asked for an interview. She was writing a book, History of the Yoroi, and wanted to hear my story, start to finish. I was the only one left that knew it all. Besides, she had offered free lodgings until I had adjusted to this era, so how could I refuse? 

"Where should I begin," I mused, almost to myself, "well obviously I should begin at the beginning. But, I won't bore you with the details of my childhood, for I had a fairly normal childhood, now that I look back upon it. My father was the leader of our small village, my mother was a healer and my brother was ten years older than me, a strong warrior and newly wed. Yet, something was different about me, I knew it ran further than skin deep, something more..." 

I paused and walked over to the desk, pulled out a chair and sat down. Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I thought to myself, smoothing the silky material of my kimono. Glancing up to look at her, I couldn't help but chuckle. This woman, probably the age of 18 or 19, looked older than I, yet I was far older than her. 

She noticed my laugh and gave a questioning look. I shook my head, "It is nothing, Mia. Now I shall start my tale. My first recollection began more than a thousand years ago..."   
  


****   
  


"Mother! I am home!" I cried, announcing my presence. She ran towards me as I neared, scooping me up into her strong arms. 

"I am so glad you are back, dearest. How is Hachiro?" She inquired with those shining dark eyes. 

"He is well, as his wife. She said I could name the baby when it is born! I hope it is a girl, then I will name it Asami!" I bubbled excitedly. 

My mother laughed, "And a beautiful name that is! Now, go wash up for dinner, you are all dusty from your trip." 

Inside my father greeted me with his warm smile. "Teruyo, how is your brother settling down in his new home?" 

"You should see it Father! It is so big!" I spread out my arms and spun around, exaggerating my point, "with such a lovely garden!" 

"How is Chisato and the child?" 

"She is so happy, and so is Hachiro! I can't wait till it is born!" 

"Teruyo!" Mother's voice called from outside. 

"I'm going Mother!" I called back, dashing to my room to clean up. 

My mind drifted back to the past week, when I visited my older brother and his wife at their new home beyond the forest. I hoped the child would have black hair and dark eyes like Hachiro and Chisato. I didn't want it to look different like me, I thought, tugging fitfully at the lock of yellow dangling mockingly infront of my eyes. I was the only one in the village with yellow hair. Mother always said it wasn't a bad thing to be different, but some of the children in the village avoided me, and their icy stares stabbed my heart. 

"Your rice is getting cold Teruyo!" My mother's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. 

After dinner I sat quietly beside Mother listening to her play the bamboo flute. She stopped and glanced at father with a look of concern. Father leaned over and patted my head. "What is wrong? You are not singing tonight, dearest." 

I sat quiet for a while before answering, "Why must I be different?" 

Mother frowned. "Dearest, you are the most lovely daughter a parent could wish for. Golden hair is a special gift the gods have given you. You should be proud." 

"But the boys don't talk to me. I shall never marry and be happy like Hachiro." I pouted in self-pity. 

She brought me into a hug. "My love, you are only eight years old. Now the boys find it strange, but when they grow up you won't be able to keep them away," she released me from the hug and smiled, "even with Grandfather's sword!" 

Comforted, I leaned against her and enjoyed the rest of the beautiful evening. 

It was some months later, after my ninth birthday that a messenger came. An army was coming from the east. Hachiro, Chisato and baby Asami left their secluded home and joined us. Hachiro and father were going to fight. 

A frosty spring morning the army reached our village. The males in the village fought fiercely, while us females hid in our family's large cellar. The yells and clanging of steel frightened me terribly, and I could see flames lick the adjacent building from the small window. I clambered up on a few crates to see more clearly what was going on. Bodies were piled up like firewood. In the corner of my vision I could see a large soldier riding a dark steed, hewing down men from my village like lithe stalks of grain. 

Suddenly I noticed a familiar cloak. Hachiro had rushed up to face this intruder. My brother stabbed at the horse's legs and the figure crashed to the ground, but quickly found his feet again, swiftly avoiding Hachiro's blows. I saw the figure more clearly now. He, if indeed it was a man, was armed head to toe in dark armour. He had numerous swords attached to his back, and he was wielding one large one, gleaming with a murderous light and stained with blood. The most horrible thing about him was his helm. It was as dark as his armour, but the face mask was crimson, and hideous spikes crowned the top, like sharp vampiric fangs ready to suck the life from you. His leering jaw grinned uncompassionately as he slaughtered, and a fire was in his dark eyes. 

The duel intensified. My heart pounded as I watched. It seemed both were of an equal keel, but the figure slashed at my brother's arm, knocking his katana several feet away. Get up, Hachiro, get up, please, I begged silently, watching the figure advance. Hachiro backed up, inch by inch, till he was almost in reach of his blade. I stared hard at Hachiro's hand. With a quick movement his fingers grasped the hilt, only to fall limp. 

Shocked, I pulled my vision back upto the figure. His sword was deeply imbedded in my brother's chest. A scarlet trickle crept out from underneath his lifeless body. Tears streamed down my face as I started into the vacant eyes of my dead brother. No.. He's not dead, I forced myself to believe it, repeating the words over and over. In a moment of desperation, I hoisted myself up and slithered out the window. Picking a path through the corpses I sped to Hachiro's side, searching for any sign of life. This amused the figure. He started laughing. I will never forget that repulsive cackle, mocking me in my sorrow. I looked up with my lost, tear flecked eyes to see his sword poised above me, ready to strike. I clamped my eyes shut, waiting for the bite of steel. 

It never came, but in its place, an earsplitting clash of metal. I ventured to open my eyes, and I found the figure, on his hands and knees, beside me. He watched with wide eyes his cloven helm as it lay on the ground, collecting the stream of blood cascading down his face. He looked up and met my gaze. For a brief second, I saw a horrible malice, a sadistic glint in those dark uncaring eyes, before they went blank. He fell forward, landing before me and I sat for a long moment, petrified. 

A heavy thud finally drew my attention away."Teruyo..you are safe..." the hoarse voice of the man that killed the figure whispered before taking his last breath. The fires died down and clouds covered the moon, but I could still recognize that it was my father. 


	2. Part Two: And so it begins

Part Two: And so it begins   
  
  
  


They say time can heal all wounds. Well, I don't agree at all. Time makes our memories hazy, and our past distant, but it doesn't heal. 

My father was dead. My brother was dead. Chisato, overwhelmed by grief from her love's murder, grew ill and passed into a slumber in which she never awoke. Our home was burnt, our village destroyed, our people leaderless. My mother did the only thing left to do - gather what meagre things we could and head west beyond the river, to the City. Mother's kin dwelt there, they welcomed us. 

Asami was no longer a baby, she was a smiling, walking bundle of joy. Her hair was a dark and deep velvet, just like Chisato's, and sparkly blue eyes. She was my ward, and I her protector. Fortunately, the City was very safe, and the people were strong, proud and courteous. And no one, not even the boys, laughed at my hair.   
  


For the next five years we lived in the abode of my mother's kin, I grew fast, for now I was taller and swifter, smarter and stronger. Uncle was a guardsman of the City and he would teach me much about battle. I learned simple tactics, maneuver, and how to wield a blade. 

We grew accustomed to life here and were happily settled, when war reared its ugly head again in the east. The frightful accounts of refugees were whispered in the marketplace. People flocked to the City, seeking protection under her strong fortified walls. 

The reports increased and the entire City became worried. This was no normal band of renegades. Demons, ghosts and monsters were seen attacking people and pillaging villages. Life became fearful and hushed, without the comfort we came here to find. 

The thought of war sickened me, yet it filled me with rage. I trained harder, secretly, in the confines of our cellar, unwilling to upset Mother with my violent obsession. The suppressed memories of the Armoured Figure tormented my mind in daylight, haunted my dreams at night.   
  


A dreary winter faded into a gloomy spring. Uncle was called to the barracks to stay - the battle drew near, we could all feel it. The tense anxiety hung almost tangibly in the air, suffocating the pride and security the City was famous for. 

In mid April scouting parties were ambushed on the northern marches and their army was closing in fast. All the farmers were called back inside the walls and the siege began. The next two months were absolute hell. The despair growing like a black pit in your soul, the cries of the warriors, screams of the fallen, wails of the women tore at your ears constantly. It seemed indeed that these in which we were fighting against were not human. They used foul devilry, raining fire down amidst the city from the outer walls. We prayed for help from neighbouring lands, but none came. Not even the sun would aid us. A thick smoke settled upon our City, blocking our vision and shielding the main forces of the enemy. By summer the main wall was breached. Hell-spawn flooded in through the openings like water rushing through a cracked pot. I never saw or heard news of Uncle after that day. 

Soon news came to us - the women, children and unfit to fight - that we were horribly outnumbered, it seemed that these demons kept "appearing" out of magical doorways. A frenzied panic took control of the most part of people and they fled, mostly to their deaths, but fled nonetheless. I stayed, unwilling to be driven any further. The odds looked hopeless, but I had no where else to go. I were backed to the edge of the cliff, and it was either jump or be driven off. 

I for one, was not going to jump. 

I knew I wasn't allowed to, but I secretly took Grandfather's sword from the mantle before we went into hiding, concealing it under the folds of my cloak lest Mother should find out. 

This battle, this hiding brought upon a frightening deja vu. Was what happened five years ago going to happen again? Pride swelled in my small heart - if everything I have left was going to be destroyed, I would go down fighting. Father and Hachiro would be proud of me. 

An explosion separated me from Asami and Mother. Running to a guardsman, he looked at me bewildered. 

"Child, " said he, "Flee at once! The demons draw nigh!" 

"I will run no further," was my reply. 

He gave a slight smile and we stood back to back, ready to stand our ground. We did not have long to wait. The jeers of the demons increased as I saw their shadowy figures breaking through the fog. Not animals, as I had expected, but grotesque ...things with unnatural skin colours and hideous fangs. Behind these hell-spawn came troops of soldiers equipped head to toe in steel armour, which glowing red eyes - no - holes, for they were not eyes, these things were not alive. 

The guardsman acted as my shield anyways, taking the brunt of the demons. Darting to the side, I suddenly froze when I saw a blood-covered hell-spawn charge at me. Crying aloud as it's claws came close to my face, I swung Grandfather's blade with all my might, neatly chopping the demon in half. 

It was my first kill, yet I was invigorated. A small voice inside me cried out "die demons die!" and fueled my angry passion. I obeyed. 

Returning to the guard's side I slashed, stabbed, hacked, hewed and sliced. After some time, an hour, maybe two, the monsters ceased the onslaught. My death count was 19, and even though that of the guard's was far greater, he looked at me again with the amazed expression. It must have been strange, to see a young girl wielding a blade nearly as long as she was tall. I looked up at him. His face was hidden with a strange helm and ..in fact, he was not dressed like a guardsman at all. He had long hair - was blue the colour? Or white? I could not tell. Before I could inspect him further, he took my hand and swiftly led me out of the ruined courtyard and through the crumbled wall. I jerked my hand back. 

"Let go! Mother and Asami are still in there!" I protested, refusing to give up on them. 

Without turning he answered, "They are fine." 

I followed out of the City with this stranger. Why? To this day I could not tell you why I went, he did not force me, but something about him, perhaps his gentle voice, or maybe his hair, I do not know. 

But I made my choice and followed him, a choice that would soon turn my world upside down and shatter what I thought could never be possible.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
